(le Róislín)

Several different words have been used to describe Hairicín Sandy (aka Spéirling Sandy).  Most of them involve the use of prefixes, although the term “stoirm fhoirfe” [STIRzh-im IRzh-fuh] could also be used.  “Stoirm fhoirfe,” is the Irish for “a perfect storm,” a term popularized (in English) by author Sebastian Junger in his 1997 leabhar and in the 2000 scannán of the same name.  The téarma actually predates Junger by deichbhlianta or céadta, depending on your notion of the exact correlation (1936 for “a perfect storm” in the meteorological sense and 1718 for a more abstract sense, with Thackeray’s “perfect storm of sympathy” appearing about halfway in-between, ca. 1848).    But whatever its popularity in English, to the extent that some advocate cosc (banning) an téarma (URL sa nasc thíos), I don’t find any traceable use of “stoirm fhoirfe” in Irish to describe Sandy.

At any rate, let’s take a closer look at the réimíreanna (prefixes).  Is there actually any difference between a “sárstoirm,” a “meigeastoirm,” and an “ollstoirm“?  Not much, déarfainn, although we could probable eke out a scealpóigín (little sliver) of differentiation ina gcialla.

1) “sár-”  has these meanings: exceeding, surpassing, excellent (ní i gcomhthéacs stoirmeacha!), ultra-, most.  Seo samplaí:

sárbhliain, excellent year (sárbhliain fíona, excellent vintage)

sármhargadh [SAWR-WAR-uh-guh], supermarket

sárobair, excellent work

sár-riail, golden rule

2) “oll-” means “great,” “gross (in size),” “huge,” “vast,” or “immense.  I only find one example of “ollstoirm” online, from 2010 (http://seano-thallisabhus.blogspot.com/2010/12/ollstoirm-sneachta.html — GRMA, a Sheáin!).  Samples include:

ollbhaois [ol-weesh], great folly

olldord, double bass

ollmhargadh [OL-WAR-uh-guh], supermarket

ollmhór [ol-wor], huge, immense

3) “meigea-,” aka “meig-,” “meigi-,” and “meag-,”  means simply “mega-,” go díreach ón nGréigis (mégas, “many,” though in modern use it usually implies a million times a unit of measurement).   Despite the widespread use of “megastorm” in English to describe Sandy, a “bigger-than-hurricane” hurricane, I don’t find any actual online examples of “meigeastoirm” to describe Sandy.  We do, however, find the prefix in such Irish words as

meigeaspór, megaspore

meigeadhumhach, mega-dune (calling all Frank Herbert fans!)

meigilit, megalith

meigibheart, megabyte

meagóm, megohm

Another phrase I’m still mulling over is the “one-two” storm, referring to the “one-two” punch, which has been applied, in English, to Sandy and also to other storms.   A “one-two” punch can either be described literally in Irish as “a haon a dó” or interpreted as “buille ar bhuille,” lit. “blow on blow.”  So would we have a “stoirm a haon a dó” or a “stoirm bhuille ar bhuille” or “stoirm bhuille a haon a dó” or some other variation?  If we use the phrase “buille ar bhuille” as an adjective, modifying “stoirm,” the first “buille” will also be lenited, since “stoirm” is a feminine noun.  Given Sandy’s tripartite nature though (fronta ón Atlantach, fronta aniar, agus fronta aduaidh), it seems that “stoirm a haon a dó a trí” (nó níos mó) atá i gceist.  Go héigríoch (ad infinitum).

And, of course, we could say “Frankenstoirm,” patterned after the English “Frankenstorm” — notice the one letter of difference between the Irish and English.  That would, of course, be le leithscéalta do chruthú an Dochtúir Frankenstein é féin.  After all, níorbh ar an “chruthú” sin an locht.  Bhí seisean ag iarraidh a bheith “daonna” (shades of Data and A.I, and of Pinocchio!) ach níor lig don lucht daonna dó.

To the extent that Hurricane Sandy is a hybrid storm, with three fronts, Atlantic, Western, and Arctic, it’s not so unfitting that it should be named after an Dochtúir Frankenstein.  After all, how many human parts did he use to create what he thought would be his “cruthú foirfe“?

Other blogs in this series have discussed “cineálacha stoirmeacha,” and hopefully, this blog has added more possibilities.  Time will tell, perhaps, which word is most fitting.  Perhaps we’ll see in the aftermath.

SGF, Róislín

P.S. The actual Irish word for “aftermath” reflects the term’s agricultural origin; it’s “athbharr,” lit. “re-crop” or “second crop.”   Since it implies something gained after the first harvest, it seems too positive for use here.

Nasc: http://www.reuters.com/article/2008/01/01/us-list-idUSN0160393320080101, “Wordsmiths, Avoid These Words,” le Andrew Stern, 1 Eanáir 2008